Knitted glove and method of making the same



June 5, 1923,

G. P. BOSWORTH KNITTED GLOVE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed MW 20 1919 .M y 1. HU2 H HHVI a 6 Ill l. 2

Wk I. J w? m; en m 1 Patented June 5, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. BOSWORTH, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 HEMPHILL COMPANY, OF CENTRAL FALLS,

SETTS.

RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- KNITTED GLOVE AND METHOD OIEMAKING THE SAME.

Application" filed May 20,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. Boswon'rn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Central Falls, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Knitted Gloves and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a knitted glove and to the method of making the same.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine-made glove that will serve either as a right or a left-hand glove, thereby eflecting a material savin in the cost of production by eliminating t e necessity of adjusting or of changing over a machine in order to knit a pair of gloves.

The invention further contemplates the production of a glove wherein certain areas may bereinforced during the knitting operations without waste or without the expenditure of an excessive amount of yarn and furthermore without necessitating manual adjustment or alterations of the ma chine upon which the glove is knitted when a change is to be made from a righthand to a left-hand glove or vice versa.

The invention consists in the novel construction of the glove and in the method of producing the same, whereby the above objects, and other objects hereinafter appearing may be attained, as set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown, merely for the purposes of illustration, a glove embodying this invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a completed glove embodying the features of my invention: and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the glove blank,

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention I have shown a glove wherein the front and back hand coverings and the front and back digit coverings are formed from separate and distinct yarns, and these coverings are united during the knitting operations along certain portions thereof, preferably by suture seams, so-called, com- 1919. Serial No. 298,458.

posed of the terminal loops of the knitted courses constituting the united portions of said coverin s.

It is within the spirit and scope of the invention to form the glove either by hand or upon any suitable type of knitting machine, and in the present case I follow the latter method, preferably, though not necessarily, employing the type of knitting machine wherein the needle cylinder is rotated or reciprocated, as the case may be. Although the production of the glove herein shown essentially involves only the reciprocatory movement of said needle cylinder, it is, however, to be distinctly understood that within the spirit and scope of the invention the needle cylinder may be held stationary and the necessary relative movement be imparted to the cams.

In the drawings, l represents the wrist, 2 the hand, 3 the thumb, and 4, 5, 6 and 7 the first, second, third and fourth fingers, re-

spectively, of the glove, and as illustrated, said glove is formed in two sections, each including substantially equal areas of said hand, finger and thumbportions, which sec tions are united by suture seams. For instance, the wrist 1 is composed of two coextensive sections 1 and 1 united by suture seams 8 and 9 extending from the end 10 of the wrist to the beginning of the hand portion of the glove which is, in the present case, indicated by the line H. The hand 2 of the glove includes a tubular web extending from the line aa to the point 11, indicating the base of the thumb 3. This portion of said hand is constructed similarly to the wrist portion 1,-that is in two substantially coextensive parts 2 and 2 from distinct yarns and united preferably at opposite sides by suture seams 12 and 13 which form continuations of the scams 8 and 9 of said wrist.

The thumb 3 is likewise formed in two sections 3 and 3, each section thereof being knitted integral with the corresponding sec tion of said tubular hand and constituting oposite faces of the thumb covering, said sections 3 and 3 being united at their outer edges by a suture seam 14 forming a continuation of the suture seam 12 of the hand. The opposite or inner edges 15 and 16 of the strips of said thumb are preferably selvaged, and these edges are later united or stitched together, as likewise are the ends 17 there of to complete the formation of the thumb.

The hand portion 2 of said glove embodies an oppositely selvaged strip 18 likewise consisting of substantially coextensive sections 18 and 18 "constituting opposite faces of the glove. and these sections are united along the little finger side of the glove by a miture seam l9 constituting a. continuation of the suture seam 13 of? said tubular hand, while the edges 20 of said sections adjacent to the thumb 3 are salvaged, and these edges are subsequently stitched together to complete the formation of the hand portion of the glove.

The finger coverings 4, 5, 6 and 7 are each composed of two sections of fabric knitted integral with the corresponding sections of the hand covering 2. in other words, the finger t consists of two separate selvaged strips of fabric 4 and l The finger 5 has two oppositely sclvaged strips 5 and 5 and the finger 6 is composed of two oppositely selvaged strips 6 and 6 The finger 7 instead of having two oppositely selvaged strips, is herein shown as having two sections 7 and T. the inner edges whereof are selvaged but the outer edges aJe united by a. suture seam 21 which forms a continuation of the seam l9 and extends to the tip of said finger 17. The inner selvaged edges of the two strips of said finger covering 7, the selvaged edges of the fingers 6, 5, t and the thumb 3, and likewise the tips of all of said digit members, are subsequently united by stitching.

It will thus be seen that the glove illustrated herein is composed of two sections of fabric, that is a front and back face, each of which includes a wrist, hand, thumb and digit coverings of substantially co-extensive area. thereby producing a glove which may be used equally weli either as a right-hand or as a left-hand glove.

In producing a glove in accordance with this invention wherein the thumb is formed half upon one section and half upon the other section of the hand covering, the di ameter of the tubular section of the hand will be substantially larger than is necessary. or desirable for the wrist of the glove, therefore I desire to fashion or shape said wrist in order that it may more readily conform to the wrist of the wearer. This may be effected in numerous ways, for example, the loops composing the fabric of said wrist may be made shorter during the knitting than are the loops which compose the hand portion and finger coverings of the glove, said loops gradually increasing, in length as they approach the hand, or said wrist may be formed of yarn contrasting in size with that used in the formation of the hand, and thereby effect a similar result.

While I refer to my invention generally as a glove, it will be obvious that within the scope and purpose thereof I include a mitten and also what may be termed a glove mitten, that is, one where a separate digit is formed for the first finger or the first and second fingers, and the remaining fingers are provided for by a single pocket formation.

In order to produce a glove embodying the features of this invention, it will be evident that the machine upon which the same is to he formed will require two separate series needles, separate knitting for each of said series, and separate yarn guides cooperating with said knitting cams,-in other words, a machine embodying the general principles of that shown in the to Aldei Landry. No. 1,415,583. dater May S), 1922. subject, however, to the necessary alterations for effecting the formation of the various Singer strips of the glove such for example as shown in the patent to George P. Bosworth, No. 1,413,452, dated April 18. 19291.

By employing such a machine in the formation of the glove, herein it will be possible to insert, without manual adjustmentor alterations in the machine, certain reinforcing yarns at certain sections of the glove, or if desired one face of the glove may he formed from a yarn of one color and the opposite face from yarn or yarns of a dii ferent color, all of which variations may be effected merely by the automatic operations of certain yarn guides of the machine. in order to eflect the formation of right-hand or left-hand gloves. all other parts of the glove being suitable for use either on a right hand or on a left hand without necessitating automatic or manual adjustmentsot the machine.

One method of producing a glove constructed in accordance with this invention is to effect the knitting, upon two separate series of needles from distinct or separate yarns which may or may not contrast in color, size or number, of two substantially co-extensive sections of fabric. namely, the sections 1 and 1 constituting the wrist of the glove. These sections are produced by reciprocating knitting, and during the formation thereof said sections may be and preferably are fashioned as illustrated by increasing the length of the loops in the usual well-known manner, assuming, of course, that the knitting is proceeding from the end 10 of the wrist.

During the knitting of said sections 1 and 1", certain end needles of the series are manipulated in a well known manner to form what is known as a suture seam which unites the adjacent opposite e ges of said sections 1 and 1*. The aduai increase in the length of the loops uring the knitting of the wrist continues until the line (1-0 is reached, where knitting is begun upon the atent hand 2 of the glove and if desired the yarn may be varied in merely withdrawin the yarn guides employed in knitting the wrist and inserting in the usual manner the desired type of yarn for knitting the hand.

The hand covering of the glove, as hereinbefore stated, is also composed of two sections 2 and 2", and these sections are knitted by reciprocating knitting upon the separate sets of needles hereinbefore employed in knitting said wrist, opposite edges of the sections 2* and 2 being likewise united by the manipulations of certain needles to form the suture seams 12 and 13.

When the point 11 is reached knitting may proceed to effect the formation either of the strips of the thumb 3 or the strips of the remaining portion of the hand of the glove. Preferably thumb are knitted first and upon selected groups of the two series of needles employed in knitting the previously described portion of the Wrist and hand sections of the love, the remainin needles being Withrawn from action during the knitting of said thumb strips. The outer edges of the strips 3 and 3". are united by themanipulation of the end needles of the said series of needles to effect theformation of the suture seam 14.

Having completed the thumb 3 the needles employed therein are withdrawn from action and the remaining needles of the series restored, and upon these restored,

needles knitting will continue to form the opposite sections 18 and 18" of the remaining hand portions of the glove, and during the formation of said sections 18 and 18* the suture seam 19 is formed in the usual manner to unite the edges of said sections at the little finger side of the hand.

en the formation of the hand covering is completed, the several finger coverings may be knitted in any desired sequence, these being accomplished upon their respective groups of needles in the manner characteristic of the formation of finger strips of this type. For instance, assuming that the covering for the little finger T is to be knitted first, the needles Corresponding to the front and back strips 7* and 7" thereof will be retained in action, all of the remaining needles employed in knitting the other sections of' the glove being withdrawn. Knitting will then proceed upon these two groups of needles in the usual manner to effect the formation of the strips 7 and 7, and during the knitting thereof the outer edges of said strips will be united by the suture seam 21.

aving completed the formation of the finger 7, a portion of the needles employed therein will. be retained in action, the others being withdrawn, and in addition size, color or strength by the strips 3 and 3 of the '4 of the first finger,

to those retained a certain number of other needles will be restored to action sutlicicnt to produce the front and back strips 6 and G", which strips may then be knitted by reciprocating knitting with selvages at opposite edges thereof.

The next step in the operation may be and preferably is the withdrawal of all except a few of the needles forming the strips 6 and 6" and restoring to action other needles of the two series to provide a sufiicient number of needles to cll'ect the formation of the strips 5 and 5* of the second finger. which proceeds as in the previous case. and subsequently, upon the completion of the finger 5, certain of the needles employed in the formation thereof will be retained in action and in addition a suflicient number of needles are added to form the front and back sections 4 and these strips when completed having oppositely selvaged edges.

It will be obvious that in view of the operations just described the front and back strips of the various fingers will overlap each other and thereby produce, when .the adjacent edges of said finger strips are stitched together, selvages 22, 22 between the several fingers thereof.

Upon the completion of the knitting of the various finger strips as just described, the adjacent selvaged edges and the tips of the several fingers may be stitched together in the well known manner to complete the formation of the glove, which glove when completed may be Worn either upon the right hand or the left hand, with the result that the wear upon the various parts of the fingers, thumb and hand portions of the glove may be more evenly distributed. and thus greatlv prolong the life of said glove. It will, however, be possible without expenditure of unnecessary amount of yarn to reinforce those portions or areas of the glove which are subjected to excessive wear and upon one side only, due to the fact that the two sections of the glove are formed separately, from distinct yarns and by reciprocating knitting. It will also be obvious that the tips of the fingers upon both faces thereof may be reinforced so that no distinction will exist between the-right and left-hand gloves. thus pfi'mitting gloves to be Worn interchangea v.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the fol-lowing claims:

1. A knitted glove characterized by the formation from distinct yarns of a tubular blank composed of two sections of fabric fit) united during the knitting thereof by suture seams composed of interknitted terminal loops of said sections, each of said sections of fabric including integrally knitted substantially co-extensive areas of the thumb and digit coverings of the glove.

2. A knitted glove characterized by the formation from two distinct yarns of two sections of fabric united during the knitting thereof at opposite edges of the hand covering by suture seams, each of said sections including substantially co-extcnsive portions of the thumb and digit coverings of said glove, said thumb and one of said digit cor-- erings having opposite faces thereof united by suture scams:

3. A knitted glove having a hand covering including a tubular portion formed in two substantially similar seciions from distinct yarns and united along opposite edges by suture seams composed of iutcrknitted loops of said sections, said hand portion also including an oppositely selvaged section formed integrai with said tubular portion, and consisting of two sectiiiins of fabric formed from distinct yarns and united at their outer edges by a suture scam composed of the terminal loops of said sections.

4. A knitted glove having a hand covering formed in two substantially similar sections from distinct. yarns and united by suture seams composed of interltnittcd ioops of said sections, a thumb strip onsisting of two substantially similar sections of fabric formed of distinct yarns and united at their outer edges by a suture seam composed of interknitted loops of said sections and constituting a continuation of the suture seam of said hand covering, and a plurality of strips of fabric constituting opposite faces of the digit coverings for said glove.

5. A knitted right or left glove having tubular split fabric covering for the hand united by a suture seam, thumb and fourth finger of said glove. the seam uniting the outer edges of said thumb and the fourth finger coverings being continuations respectively of the seams uniting the outer edges of the hand coverings.

6. A tubular knitted glove having a hand covering formed in two sections from distinct yarns and united along opposite edges by suture seems. a double-width thumb strip knitted integral with said hand covering and constituting either a right or left thumb covering, and a plurality of finger strips knitted integral with said hand covering.

7. A knitted glove having a hand covering including a tubular portion formed in two sections from distinct yarns and united along opposite edges by suture scams composed of the terminal loops covering sections, said hand portion also includin an oppositely selvaged section forme integral with said tubular portion,

of said hand and consisting of two sections of fabric formed from distinct yarns and united at the little finger side of the hand by a suture seam composed of the terminal loops of said sections.

is. A knitted glove adapted either for a right or left hand having opposite faces thereof formed from separate yarns and re spcctively including integral and substantially co-cxlcnsiw portions of the hand, thumb and lingers of said glove, and suture scams uniting portions of the faces of said band and thumb.

9. i\ knitted glove adapted either for a right or left hand having front and back faces formed from separate yarns, said front and bark faces each including integral and substantially co-extensive portions of the wrist. band. thumb and fingers of the glove, the loops composing said Wrist being substaniially equal in number but smaller in size than the loops munstituting said hand.

it). A knitted glove having opposite faces thereof formed from separate yarns and respectively including integral and substantialiv coextensive portions of the hand. thumb and linger coverings thereof, a fashioned wrist formed integral with said ha i and suture scams extending along opposite sides and uniting opposite faces of said wrist and hand coverings and the opposite faces of the thumb and little finger coverings at their outer edges.

11. A knitted glove having opposite faces thereof formed from separate yarns and respectively including substantially co-extensive portions of the wrist. band, thumb and linger coverings thereof, said wrist covering being fashioned during the knitting by varying the length of the loops thereof, and suture seams composed of the terminai loops of and integrally uniting adjacent edges of the opposite faces of said wrist and hand coverings.

12. That method of knitting a glove,

which consists in functioning separate sets.

of needles to produce front and back faces of the wrist of a giove, in gradually increas ing the length of the loops to fashion said Wrist and in uniting said opposite faces during the knitting thereof, then in knitting upon said separate sets of needles two sec tions of fabric united at opposite edges to form a portion of the hand of the glove, then in knitting upon an even number of needles of each of said series to form opposite faces of the thumb and in uniting the outer edges of said thumb faces by a suture seam during the knitting thereof. then in knitting upon a substantially equal number of needles from each of said series to form the remaining opposite faces of the hand. and in uniting the edges of said faces in a suture seam at the little finger side of the glove, and in subsequently knitting upon selected groups of each of said series of needles a plurality of strips constituting finger coverings.

13. That method of knitting a glove, which consists in knitting a tube of substantially co-extensive sections of fabric constituting opposite faces of the wrist and hand coverings of a glove and in uniting said sections during the knitting thereof by sutur seams composed of the terminal loops of said sections, then in knitting integral with said hand sections, respectively, opposite faces of the thumb, and in uniting during said knitting the outer edges of said thumb faces by a suture seam composed of terminal loops of said thumb faces, and in subsequently knitting in sequence a plurality of sets of selvaged strips each constituting opposite faces of the finger coverings.

14. That method of knitting a tubular glove blank, which consists in simultaneously knitting substantially co-extensive sections of fabric constituting opposite faces of the wrist and hand and in uniting said sections during the knitting thereof, then in knitting integral with said hand sections, ,respectively, opposite faces of the thumb, and in uniting during said knitting the outer edges of said thumb faces, then in knitting integral with the opposite faces of said hand opposit/e faces of the little finger covering, and in uniting the terminal loops during the knittin thereof the outer edges of said little finger aces, and subsequently and in sequence knitting a plurality of sets of selvaged strips integral with opposite faces of said hand to form the first, second and third finger coverings.

15. That method of knitting a glove, which consists in knitting a tube upon separate series of needles from distinct yarns two substantially co-extensive sections of fabric fashioned during the knitting by varying the length of the loops thereof, and in manipulating the end needles of one of said series during the knitting of said sections to unite adjacent edges of said sections,

then in knitting upon said series of needles two substantially co-extensive sections of fabric having loops of substantially uniform size and constituting a portion of the hand, and inuniting during the knitting of said sections adjacent edges thereof, then in knitting upon certain needles of each of said series two substantially co-extensive sections of fabric constituting the thumb and in uniting the outer edges of said sections during the knitting thereof, then in knitting integral with the aforesaid portions of the hand two substantially co-extensive sections of fabric 'constitutin the remaining portions of said hand and in uniting during the knitting thereof the edges of said sections at the little finger side of the glove, then in knitting integral with said hand a plurality of selvaged strips constituting finger coverings,

and in subsequently stitching the adjacent selvaged edges of said hand, thumb and fingers, together.

16. A knitted glove comprising front and back areas composed of separate yarns and each consisting of integrally knitted hand, thumb and finger sections,opposite edges of the front and backhand sections and the outer edges of the thumb and fourth finger sections being united by suture seams composed in part of yarn from thefront area and in part of yarn from the back area, the tips and inner edges of the thumb and fourth fingers and the tips and opposite edges of the remaining finger strips being stitched together.

17. A knittd glove blank in tubular form characterized by two substantially similar sections of fabric comprising respectively hand, thumb and finger coverings, the outer edges of said hand, thumb and fourth finger coverings of said sections being united in a seam composed of interknitted loops of said sections.

In testimony whereof, have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE P. BOSWORTH.

Certificate of Correction.

It-is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,458,102, granted June 5, 1923, upon the application of: Geor P. Bosworth, of Central Falls Rhode Island, for an improvement in Knitted zloves and Methods of Making the Same, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 4. line 8, claim 2, before theword two, second occurrence, insert the words a tubular blank composed of; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Signed-and sealed this 26th day of June, A. D., 1923.

[m] KARL FENNING,

Acting Commissioner of -Patents. 

